Beverly Hills Cop IV Resurrected ... Again

The long-gestating on-again, off-again sequel is back on at Paramount Pictures, which is reportedly "moving fast" on making the fourth installment in the decades-old fish-out of-water cop comedy franchise.

Paramount has hired Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol screenwriters Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec to pen the script. Eddie Murphy is also said to be onboard to reprise his role as wise-cracking, transplanted Detroit cop Axel Foley.

"We hear the newest installment in the film franchise was fueled by the interest sparked by the Beverly Hills Cop pilot this past season," reports Deadline.

CBS shocked industry observers when it opted not to pick up the Shawn Ryan-scripted pilot as a series. Brandon T. Jackson starred as Axel’s son, with Murphy in a supporting role as Axel, who was now the chief of police in Detroit. No word on whether Jackson will pop up in the fourth movie, though it would seem unlikely.

Deadline claims the pilot "drew enough attention to the franchise to spawn a new movie."